


The Cinnamon Roll Semantics

by Flamyoi



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Agent Carter References, Albus Severus Potter doesn't know how to text, Albus Severus Potter swears, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - No Powers, Ardent Albus Severus Potter, Astoria Greengrass Dies, Best Friends, Books, Canonical Character Death, Childhood Memories, Cinnamon Roll Scorpius Malfoy, Coffee Shops, College, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff, Friendship, Grief/Mourning, Harry Potter Next Generation, Idiots in Love, Intentionally Bad Spelling & Grammar, London, Multi, Mutual Pining, No Spoilers, Not Harry Potter and the Cursed Child Compliant, Oblivious Albus Severus Potter, Oblivious Scorpius Malfoy, POV Albus Severus Potter, Sarcastic Scorpius Malfoy, Siblings, Swearing, Young adults and their problems, cloud atlas references, families, this tag is so funny I can't, warnings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-22
Updated: 2020-04-22
Packaged: 2021-03-01 20:53:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,292
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23793418
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Flamyoi/pseuds/Flamyoi
Summary: Written for the prompt: Two high school students skive off. Why is it significant? What do they do?Or: On an especially bad day, Albus decides to take his best friend Scorpius' mind off things. Little do they know that's basically a date.
Relationships: Implied Harry Potter/Ginny Weasley, Minor or Background Relationship(s), Scorpius Malfoy/Albus Severus Potter, past Draco Malfoy/Astoria Greengrass
Comments: 6
Kudos: 35





	The Cinnamon Roll Semantics

The classroom was overheated, and the History teacher's drawling voice was luring me to sleep. In a vain attempt to brighten the moment, I glanced at my watch. It was only nine o'clock, meaning we'd been rotting in this room on the ground floor for almost forty-five minutes and I couldn't remember a thing of what had been said. If at least we had been on the third floor, I could have been looking out of the window and so considered my upcoming freedom more peacefully.

Ignoring the teacher who had noticed that I was paying him no mind (subtlety wasn't really my strong suit), I turned to look at the desk closest to the door; the farthest away from me. Scorpius was sitting there, focused on the lesson, his blond air neatly combed, calm as ever.

Still, something wasn't sitting right. He had been late, and Scorpius Malfoy was  _ never late,  _ what with his father driving him to school every morning.

Then our teacher mentioned the date, and I understood. Today was not a typical day. Today was his mother's death anniversary.

I fished for my phone in my pocket and hid it behind the stack of books on my desk to text unnoticed. 

_ "hi Scorp. u OK?" _

His phone was probably on silent, and he was right into the teacher's field of vision, but I still hoped he'd answer. 

A minute later, a phone rang loudly. Mine, it turned out. So much for being careful. The spineless teacher threw me a warning glance, and I mumbled a half-hearted apology.

_"I'm fine, Albus."_

I sincerely doubted that (beyond the fact that he didn't even bother complaining about my spelling) but I'd figured he wouldn't be straightforward, and it only strengthened my decision to do something. We weren't about to rot here for an entire day. He looked like he could use a distraction, and so did I.

_"JSYK. we R leaving after the break"_

I then turned my ringer off, as there was no need to antagonise the teacher. It would do my plan no right if he decided to keep me during the break as a punishment.

_"???"_

Scorpius set a new record for the shortest and most meaningful text.

And here I thought I had been clear.

 _"we R off!!"_ I added unhelpfully.

I witnessed him muffle a laugh in the crook of his elbow and felt very proud of myself. Like his father, Scorpius had mastered the art of not showing any emotion in public, and it was my goal in life to get a handful of them from him daily.

 _"Alright."_ He yielded eventually.

I could picture his internal sigh of long-suffering in my mind. He didn't say "My father will skin us" or "You're going too far Al'," which would have been valids concerns any other day. He had realised that my mind was set and respected it by not complaining. At least not now.

From then on, I started to draw up a plan for the day, hoping to make it worthier than by staying here, struggling against boredom, sleepiness, or both for the unluckiest of us. Leaving the place unnoticed wouldn't be hard during the break, as many of our fellow classmates would rush outside to have a fag at the gate.

Never had I ever been so glad to hear the bell. I was one of the first to grab my stuff, which I shouldn't have bothered getting out of my bag in the first place, except to hide my phone, and joined Scorpius at his desk. He took all his damn time to store his books carefully and put his winter coat on. Only then did he acknowledged me with a nod, which wasn't bad, considering. 

I asked if I could grasp his wrist, and when he nodded, I dragged him along as I walked through the crowd of wild teenagers in the hallways, toward the exit. We crossed the greyish cloud of nicotine at the gate and found ourselves blessedly free, in London's relative fresh air.

"What did you have in mind, tearing us away from the heat?" Scorpius complained.

"Precisely that."

He threw me a dark glance as we began walking toward downtown.

"So I can count on you to explain exactly why I'm frozen to my father tonight?"

"He'll understand. It's not like he's not icy himself." I couldn't help but laugh at my own pun since Scorpius wouldn't do me this favour.

As if to make me lie, a hint of a smile appeared on his lips.

"That was terrible, Al,'” he commented. “Please don't say it ever again.”

"Yeah, sure!" I said before putting my hands in my pockets to shield them from the cold. 

It was the middle of January, the most depressing part of the year. The holidays were over, and everyone was committed to being better versions of themselves for like four days, which was bullshit. Nine people out of ten would spend the year in the exact same way than the last. I, for one, had decided I wouldn't change a thing.

Plus, it had begun to snow a few days ago, and now the pavements were covered in a disgusting slush, making it easy to slip. This wasn't the best time to wander around, but sadly, I didn't choose the day.

I kept looking around, wondering what we could do in the city. Scorpius was silent, and at some point, he stopped dead on the pavement, causing a passer-by behind to shove him to go through. Unperturbed by the rude gesture, Scorpius pointed at a dilapidated frontage on the other side of the street. It had been actual years since I'd last been there and I had somehow forgotten about it.

"Let's go inside," I said, and Scorpius nodded his consent.

We sighed of relief when a wave of warmth welcomed us in the library we used to visit when we were kids. It was the first time we came here together, as our dads used to hate each other's guts and carefully avoided running into each other on their week-ends. (Professor McGonagall, our teacher in Year 4 - who had also taught our parents - had said one day that she had never seen two children fighting like Mr Malfoy and my dad in four decades of service.) Hopefully, they had eventually reached a truce for our sake when we were older, realising we were inseparable - and I'm using this word because they did  _ try  _ to separate us first.

I opened my coat, and Scorpius removed his scarf and gloves. Our wet shoes left tracks on the carpeted floor as we crossed the entryway.

Entering the reading room felt like reliving so many moments of my childhood, and I knew it was the same for Scorpius. I couldn't pinpoint the time I had stopped coming, but I remembered the hours spent in James' company when our parents were shopping downtown - an arrangement satisfying for both parties. 

We nodded to the librarian at the front desk and, without consulting each other, went directly toward the children department, empty save for us at this hour of the day.

We dropped our coats on a chair and enthusiastically began rummaging through the shelves for books we knew. Thanks to the warmth and the calm, Scorpius unwound. I believe he was even having  _ fun _ . 

It was amusing to note that, despite us being best friends and all, there was not a single book we'd both read - surely his posh grandparents would have looked down on what mine considered suitable for kids, and vice versa.

When Scorpius began to stare into space again later, I decided it was time to go. It was almost time for lunch anyway. I refrained from asking if he was hungry; I already knew what he'd say.

"Let's go elsewhere?" I chose to suggest instead.

He shrugged. I forced a smile on my face to hide my worry, picked my books up to put them back on the shelves and waited for Scorpius to do the same. Then we put our coats on and left the library for the freezing street.

We walked for about fifteen minutes. Then a woman watching a video on her bloody phone bumped against Scorpius when we stopped in front of our target, and he didn't even bat an eyelash, which was not unusual, but I got angry on his behalf and yelled at her retreating back.

I tried to reign my temper in and focus back on what we were supposed to do. The coffee shop I had found on the Internet was located between a Sam's Chicken restaurant and a gift shop and seemed fit for today. Scorpius looked at the sign, then at me.

"For a second, I imagined you'd made me eat in a fast-food restaurant again."

I rolled my eyes. 

"Well, I'm sorry, not everyone wishes to have a fancy lifestyle." I retorted.

He somehow managed to look smug, perfectly aware that I was doing this for him. I had previously intended to come here for his birthday, so I would have to find another idea for that day, but it was good to know that the choice was on point.

"You're getting there."

The inside smelled of freshly baked pastries, coffee and orange juice, which was a delight after the smell of the streets. We picked a table away from the door, so we wouldn't be cold and looked at the menu before going to the counter to order. 

"Don't assume I'm blind, Al'," he said while we were waiting for the food to arrive. "I know what you're doing."

I looked innocent, which always worked when I was accusing James of some mischief I'd done.

"I don't know what you're talking about; we're just enjoying a nice day outside of school."

Several emotions crossed his face before he erased them.

"Won't your parents be angry?"

It was hard to guess what he truly wanted to say since his expression wasn't giving me any bloody clue.

"No, I don't think so." I lied. "Dad will look puzzled, wondering how he could raise a child so unlike himself, and Mom will ask if I'm okay and if I need to talk. It's no wonder they can't stand each other anymore."

I winced, noticing that I got a little carried away. Scorpius didn't deserve to hear me complain about my parents' relationship. Hopefully, someone handed us our order, and we went back to our table with the trays.

Scorpius was having a veggie wrap, a cup of Earl Grey tea, and a slice of plain cheesecake. I could tell he'd managed to pick one of the menu's healthiest combination and I smirked. I had done the exact opposite, with a white chocolate mocha, a chicken ciabatta sandwich and a cinnamon roll. Sure enough, Scorpius eyed the icing trickling from the pastry on my tray and rolled his eyes dramatically. He didn't know what was good. I had definitely a sweet-tooth, and he was pretending to be allergic to anything sugary.

"Now, about the question you asked, James used to skive off all the time in Year 13, and he still graduated so if my parents are mad at me, I'll remind them it's simply one bloody day. And I'm way more clever than he was anyway." I added after we'd started eating.

I loved my brother; sometimes. 

"What about your father?" I asked tentatively.

"Oh, I don't know. Maybe he won't mention it, or like your mother, he'll worry." Scorpius answered, deep in thoughts. If it was hard to know what he was thinking, it was nearly impossible with his father.

We kept eating in comfortable silence, as it was still a bit early for most people to be on their lunch-break yet. I relished these times we shared, especially as our respective families made it hard for us to see each other outside of school, be it on purpose or not. For example, every time I would ask for permission to have Scorpius over, Lily'd ask to have a friend too, and since our parents wanted to avoid playing favourites, they'd reject both requests, thus only making matters worse between Lily and me. I loved my sister; sometimes.

And Scorpius' father didn't like to have guests when he wasn't in the house, and he was always working late, so it was another barrier, but we were stubborn enough not to let them pain us.

I suddenly noticed that Scorpius was peering at me with a strange look.

"You think a lot today, Al'."

I pretended to be offended.

"Are you saying I usually don't?"

"No, only that you usually talk more."

"You too," I retorted, even though that was unfair.

"Touché," he mumbled.

"I worry about you," I confessed as a peace-offering.

He frowned.

"You shouldn't."

"Yes, I should. I'm your best friend, remember? And that's what friends do, they worry."

Scorpius chose to take a sip of his steaming tea to drown his sorrows.

"I don't know why it's so hard today.” He acknowledged.

Bloody finally.

“But it will get better." He added with a sense of finality.

"Until then, let me worry and do whatever it takes to make you feel better," I said genuinely.

That's when Scorpius' fork made a beeline for my dessert under my outraged gaze. He looked pleased of his move until he actually tasted the bite of stolen roll.

"Ugh!" He said with a whole-body shudder. "How can you eat  _ that _ ?"

"I don't know if I'm more affronted because you stole what's mine, or because that's your opinion of my favourite dessert."

He looked at me patronizingly.

"Come one, that's not even a proper dessert."

"Oh, because you think that thing is?"

I stole a bite of his cheesecake in retaliation and to prove my point.

"That's fucking bland," I said. "You don't get to insult my roll if that's what you consider proper pleasure. If at least you'd taken the raspberry one, maybe I would have forgiven you." 

"Well, I still have to forgive you the loss of my eyesight because of your offensive way of texting." He deadpanned.

"Oi, it made you laugh today!" I countered. "I will never let it go."

We stared at each other for a minute.

"What will you tell your parents if they asked why you weren't in school?" He asked.

Was he still worried about their reaction? I needed to distract him right now.

"History class was boring, so we left to read children literature and discuss desserts' semantics. Oh, and to yell at rude people in the street," I summarised, and was rewarded for my patience when Scorpius' shoulders shook with silent laughter. 

"I suspect they won't find it as amusing as we do." 

I snorted and looked through the window. A passer-by making a long face slipped on the slush and barely avoided a collision with a street light. It reminded me of one grandfather's favourite silent film.

"What about this afternoon?" Scorpius asked, and I turned my attention back on him.

"I was thinking of a film," I said. His question was timely.

"Why not."

He drank the last of his tea, and before I was able to move, he was at the checkout with his wallet. He threw me a glance of warning when I tried to join him with mine, so I put my coat back on and sulked for a minute instead.

The closest cinema was just around the corner, and I hoped we wouldn't have to wait too long for the next screening.

"See something good?" I asked Scorpius after studying the programme in the hall for a minute.

"Well," he began, focused on the task. "It seems we have the choice between action, action, romantic, sci-fi, romantic, horror, and romantic again."

"That doesn't answer my question."

"Easy to say."

"Are you kidding? You should be honoured I'm letting you choose."

"I resent you for criticising my taste yet again, Al'."

I couldn't help but smile.

"So, which one?"

"Let me think."

"If there's nothing of interest, we can still go back to school and be on time for maths." I teased, knowing that for once, he wouldn't take it literally. He hated maths with a passion.

"This one," he said, at last, showing me a poster I hadn't seen before.

"Cloud Atlas? Why this one?"

"I've actually heard about it. And there's Ben Wishaw."

"Let's go, then. But if it's boring, we're leaving."

Scorpius' retort was too low for me to hear it, but I could make a guess. (He was right; I'd watch the most boring film ever with him if that was what he wanted.) I bought two tickets and looked innocent when he frowned.

"Oh, did you think you could pay for that too? Too bad, Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy. I did." I said, enjoying myself tremendously. 

We would be reaching majority in a few months, and we were at a crossroads between childhood and adulthood; not immature enough to still be children, and too playful to yet be deemed as adults. (I had read that in one of my father's psychology magazine, and it had made me laugh - so much for him understanding me.) The banter was familiar territory, as it had begun precisely twelve years ago, in Year 1, when we'd first met. It was our way to be friends despite our very distinct personalities.

We sat side by side in the mostly empty room, our hands brushing on the armrest.

Then the film began, and it blew me away. It was overly complicated, with endless characters, places and times, yet I was fascinated. I checked on Scorpius at some point. However, his expression wasn't giving anything away. I tentatively reached for his hand and sighed of satisfaction when his fingers wrapped themselves around mine. Unlike me, he wasn't a very tactile person, so I was always a bit wary of initiating physical contact. 

When the end titles came up, I was too dazed to do anything but look at the screen. Scorpius turned to look at me.

"Well?"

"You have good taste in films." I conceded. "And Ben Wishaw's awesome."

He smiled, pleased, and gently let go of my fingers. 

“James d'Arcy's not so bad himself,” he winked, knowing I'd loved his role in Marvel's Agent Carter.

By the time we left the cinema, it was five o'clock and already dark outside. We walked to the closest tube station and prepared to say goodbye on the platform as we lived in opposite directions.

"Thank you for today, Al," Scorpius said, and there was so much warmth in his eyes suddenly, I got sentimental.

"My pleasure. We should do that again soon."

"Definitely. When my father asks what I did today, I'll tell him I've enjoyed my youth," he said with the posh tone I knew he used to talk to him. I burst into laughter.

"Oh, please do! I want to know his reaction." I said, already picturing it in my mind. "I'm so glad you've decided to enjoy your youth with me, Scorp."

He smiled, and then we looked at each, suddenly not knowing how to handle being emotional anymore.

"See you tomorrow, Al'," he said at last.

"See you, Scorp. Text me when you get home!" I answered, and we went on our separate ways.

I was thrilled and proud to have brightened his day, which was usually the worst of the year for him. I had made him smile, and laugh, and even if I would surely be grounded for skiving off (he wouldn't have followed me if I hadn't lied, would he?), it was still so, so worth it. 

100% would recommend.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading! (and please forgive me for all remaining spelling mistakes; English is not my first language. You don't have to forgive Albus though!)
> 
> If you have any request, feel free to ask. I'll definitely make this a series later on because I love them and I had so much fun.


End file.
